Mpox: EU public health body raises alert level

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) on Friday recommended increased vigilance against a new mpox virus variant that is likely to spread quickly, it said.

"Due to frequent and close travel links," European Union member states should issue advice for those visiting or returning from mpox outbreak areas in five Central African states: Burundi, Central African Republic, Congo, Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya.

"As a result of the rapid spread of this outbreak in Africa, ECDC has increased the level of risk for the general population in the EU/EEA and travelers to affected areas," said Pamela Rendi-Wagner, director of the Stockholm-based ECDC.

On Thursday, the first infection of the new mpox clade 1 variant was reported in the EU, coincidentally also in Sweden. The person infected with the virus was a traveler who had recently returned from Africa.

Vaccinations recommended for travelers

An ECDC spokesperson told DW that travel warnings, travel bans or even border controls were not necessary at this time, though higher infection figures are expected in Europe.

Travelers with symptoms should seek medical treatment and isolate themselves to prevent secondary infections and the spread of the disease.

Mpox clade 1, formerly known as monkeypox, is transmitted through close physical contact. Congo has recently seen a particular spike in cases in recent months, reporting over 16,000 infections and 511 deaths this year alone.

The ECDC does not expect "sustained transmission" of mpox in Europe, provided cases are found and treated quickly. The key to prevention will be well-prepared health authorities and the proper education of travelers to and from Africa, said the ECDC spokesperson.

"Ensuring effective surveillance, laboratory testing, epidemiological investigation and contact tracing capacities will be vital to detecting cases of MPXV clade I on the continent and activating any response," the agency wrote in its new risk analysis on Friday. It recommends that travelers who want to visit risk areas in Africa should seek an mpox vaccination from their doctors.

Border controls in China

China has reacted more strongly than the EU, stepping up border controls at international airports and seaports. People infected with mpox or showing symptoms are being asked to report to the customs authorities, who will arrange tests and treatment, authorities in Beijing announced.

The Federal Foreign Office in Berlin updated its mpox information on Thursday. Warnings have already been issued against travel to parts of the Congo and the Central African Republic, for example, though mainly due to other safety concerns unrelated to mpox. Currently, there no travel warnings for Burundi, Rwanda or Kenya.

On Wednesday, the World Health Organization declared the mpox clade 1 virus a "public health emergency of international concern"—the UN health agency's highest alert.

Virus renamed in 2022

Two years ago, the WHO issued the same alert for the monkeypox clade 2b variant, which was less deadly and more difficult to transmit.

For decades, the virus similar to smallpox was called monkeypox, but the WHO renamed it to avoid possible racially motivated conclusions.

Since 2022, there have been around 100,000 infections in 116 countries of the virus subgroup 2b, with around 200 deaths.

This article was originally written in German.